EPL asks the Ministry of Environment to prevent massive forest felling in the national reserve “Vorotniv”

2 April 2018

As it became known to EPL from the web-site of the Volyn Oblast State Forest and Hunting Administration, on March 15, 2018, the list of measures to improve the sanitary state of forests in Vorotniv Forestry and the State Enterprise “Kivertsi Forestry” was approved.

The list of forest felling in “Vorotniv” reserve

The area where selective sanitary felling is to be performed covers 575 ha. On average, 15-16 cubic meters of wood is planned to be taken from one hectare, which totally makes 8500-9000 ha of the total amount of felling.

This means that foresters from Kivertsi propose to fell forest on 575 ha out of 600 ha, that is on 96% of the area of the reserve!

If you analyze the list of plots that are planned for forest felling, you can see a formal approach to the process. In particular, all forests “in a row” are allocated for felling including artificial forests, natural forests, both young and old growth forests. The indicated grounding for these measures is the same everywhere – “deadfall, fallen wood”. On each plot (that is, on all 575 hectares!) the same red list plants are indicated as available – “lady’s-slipper orchid” and “Daphne cneorum”. This is not possible because in fact they cannot grow in a young spruce forest (because they will not get enough light) while the 2nd section of the 40th quarter is exactly such a forestwith spruce plants up to 27 years old.

The list of forest felling in “Vorotniv” reserve

It is worth noting that «Vorotniv” reserve is a popular recreation place. One of the arguments of foresters in favor of the above-mentioned fellings is “ensuring the safety of people who are on vacation and the removal of trees that may cause an accident.” However, the allocated areas are not only those where there are a lot of holidaymakers, but also remote areas in the depths of the forest where people do not go.

Moroever, in such cases there is a worldwide practice when in valuable forests in places of mass recreation, the trees that can cause an accident are simply “landed” without removing them from the forest.

«Landed» treesinthereserve “NaturalforestofPushchaBilovezka” inPoland

According to the procedure, in order to hold the felling following this list, Volynian foresters will have to get limits from the Ministry of Environment of Ukraine. EPL believes that the above mentioned felling is de-facto commercial wood harvesting on protected territories. You can see how the protected forest will look after so-called “selective sanitary felling” in Volyn style on the example of the neighboring protected tract “Tsumanska Pushcha”

в) to develop the plan of measures to manage “Vorotniv” reserve on the basis of the best European practicewhen the most valuable forest plots are preserved with minimal interference of people and the rest of territories are covered by measures of active management.

Part of forests of “Vorotniv” reserve consist of artificial planting of Norway spruce and northern red oak, and their felling would be, on the one hand, beneficial for the nature, and, on the other hand, would allow the foresters to earn money to ensure functioning of the forestry.

«Belianskyi forest” reserve in the center of Warsaw. EverydaythousandsofresidentsofPolishcapitalcomeherebutolddeadoaksstay here and they do not cause any problems for the visitors.